News & Events

As the Holidays Near, Miller Canfield Offers Tips for a Safe Company Celebration

December 7, 2004

It’s the holiday season – and for many companies that means an annual party. According to the law firm of Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C., if you’re planning festivities at your workplace, be sure to take precautions and protect yourself from the legal consequences that could result from serving alcohol.

“Normally, an employer who provides alcohol at a company function isn’t held liable for damage or injury caused by employees who become intoxicated, since the proximate cause is the employee’s overindulgence – not the employer who provided the alcohol,” says Miller Canfield labor and employment attorney, Karla McKanders . “However, employer liability is an issue if employees are required to attend the event, are acting in the course of their job or are underage.”

12. Make certain your company’s sexual harassment policies address conduct at work-sponsored social events, and that your employees are fully informed of these policies

13. Promptly respond to any known policy violations that may occur at your party

Miller Canfield’s Labor and Employment Group is currently helping companies develop policies for safe, stress-free celebrations.

The 330-attorney law firm of Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C. was established in Detroit in 1852 and has offices in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Howell, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Monroe, and Troy, Michigan. Other offices are located in New York City, Pensacola, Florida, Washington, D.C., Windsor, Ontario, and in Gdynia, Katowice, and Warsaw, Poland.